Instrumented measurements on radioactive waste disposal containers during experimental drop testing
(2011)
In context with disposal container safety assessment of containers for radioactive waste the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) performed numerous drop tests in the last years. The tests were accompanied by extensive and various measurement techniques especially by instrumented measurements with strain gages and accelerometers. The instrumentation of a specimen is an important tool to evaluate its mechanical behavior during impact. Test results as deceleration-time and strain-time functions constitute a main basis for the validation of assumptions in the safety analysis and for the evaluation of calculations based on finite-element methods. Strain gauges are useful to determine the time dependent magnitude of any deformation and the associated stresses. Accelerometers are widely used for the measuring of motion i.e. speed or the displacement of the rigid cask body, vibration and shock events. In addition high-speed video technique can be used to visualize and analyze the kinematical impact scenario by motion analysis. The paper describes some selected aspects on instrumented measurements and motion analysis in context with low level radioactive waste (LLW) container drop testing
This paper presents technical details of the drop test performance as well as some experimental results of tests carried out with the Japanese 'Yoyushindo-Disposal' waste container for intermediate depth disposal. The drop test program comprised three single 8 m drop tests at the specimen's corner edge orientation onto a concrete slab. The slab was connected to the unyielding IAEA target of the BAM's 200 t drop test facility. The three tested specimens had masses between 20 000 and 28 000 kg depending on their content mass. The tests were accompanied by various metrology, such as strain and deceleration measurements, optical three-dimensional deformation methods, leak tightness testing and test installation for potential particle release measurements to collect a set of data for establishing a basis for safety assessment.